1) Candle Light Service: A candle light community service hosted at Eliot Chapel at 7 pm the night of the grand jury announcement. It will include Rev. Barbara H. Gadon, Maggie Duwe, David Bennett, Scott Stearmann, Ron Hodges, Jeffrey Croft and Terry McKee.

2) Safe Church: The Webster Groves Christian Church (Disciples) will be open 24 hours after the grand jury announcement as a quiet space for prayer, meditation, and listening support. If you would like to take a shift as a supportive presence, please sign up through their sign-up genius website.

November 21, 2014 In August attorneys for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the County of St. Louis and the City of Ferguson signed an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri stating that protesters and the media had the right to record law enforcement officers. But, that agreement was disregarded many times in the last few months so the ACLU went back to court last Friday and filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Today United States District Judge John A. Ross granted three court orders against the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the County of St. Louis and the City of Ferguson. “We are pleased that there are court orders requiring the police to respect the First Amendment rights of journalists,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri. “With court orders in place, immediate recourse will be available if the freedom of the press is violated.” The signed agreement , amended complaint and other documents related to this lawsuit, Mustafa Hussein v. County of Saint Louis, et. al can be found on the ACLU of Missouri website.

Hello MNIA Community,Just an FYI on what several groups (including "White Activists Against Racial Discrimination") are preparing and planning for when the GJ decision is announced. Here is an email that was sent out to the coalition of activist groups.

We know most of you have already gone through some of the excellent trainings, engaged in protests, rallies ands support work regarding the inhumane killings of Michael Brown, Vonderitt Meyers and Kajiime Powell and are gearing up for the GJ decision at any time now.

We are specifically emailing our original ARC database, as there are a few things that we can play an important role to support the organizing and actions planned by: progressive/radical people of color in OBS, MORE, Don't Shoot Coalition, and by Ferguson youth , regarding the outrage and ongoing rebellion and protests planned in the streets and other venues around St. Louis.

We as the ARC core have again prepared a letter when the GJ decision is announced. We are awaiting approval from JI folks of color to approve it. The Don’t Shoot Coalition has asked for all orgs to try and write one. We will be sending it to several papers, websites and social media and encourage others to do the same to counter the racist and narrow coverage of this movement we are engaged in. Here are a few immediate things to do if you can:​

donate supplies needed NOW to the sanctuaries closest to you (thisisthemovement.org has all locations, everything listed, including the wedding registry) but winter gear, outlet strips, chargers, easy to grab snacks, water are all on the list. They will be open 24/7( some are St. John's church on Arsenal and Compton Hts Church, St Marks Church in Ferguson ) Mokabes will also be open 24/7 for support of protestors

Meet at either Shaw and Klemm where Vonderett Meyers was killed OR the Ferguson police dept after the announcement, and Clayton in front of the Justice Center the next business day at 7 am after the decision, to “help shut it down” (if you can)

get with your affininty group and make sure everyone has an emergency kit of snacks, water, flashlight, whistle, scarf, etc, and each others ph #'s

donate directly to the jail support efforts-also on that website (money is still needed for bail)

there has been an “unmasking” by the group Anonymous of kkk folks who have infiltrated and been at protests/events and we are directed to take a photo if we recognize them and to send to ACLU app for legal assistance or if you been trained by trainers, you can try to corral them away from causing violence, or yell out for medic assistance to help remove them

if you witness white protesters who are imminently and purposely espousing violence and who could threaten the live's of Black folks around them because of their short-sighted and selfish attempts to act without accountability to progressive/radical folks of color, they may also need to be corralled away from the area, and if trained by folks at one of the trainings, we can stand in between them to avert their actions.

lastly, sign up or show up as you can to support all efforts to show our solidarity to young people of color who have been on the streets and elders who have been in the forefront of this movement for decades (updated Fergusonoctober.com site will have these)

Text Hands up and then plug in your zip code to get immediate info too on your smart phones​

We are all in this together and we can make a difference with passion, accountability and action!In solidarityARC/JI

Remember how good you felt when Black History Month rolled around and you finally got to learn and talk about significant African American historical figures in school? Well, according to new research published in the Journal of Child Development, affirming a black child’s desire to learn about their race does more than just give them a personal boost, it helps them academically as well.

The study, conducted by Ming-Te Wang and James P. Huguley of the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University respectively, found that “racial socialization”—teaching kids about their culture and involving them in activities that promote racial pride and connection—helps to offset the discrimination and racial prejudices children face by the outside world.

﻿Wang explains:﻿ “Our findings challenge the notion that ‘race blindness’ is a universally ideal parenting approach, especially since previous research has shown that racially conscious parenting strategies at either extreme—either ‘race blindness’ or promoting mistrust of other races—are associated with negative outcomes for African American youth. “When African American parents instill a proud, informed, and sober perspective of race in their sons and daughters, these children are more likely to experience increased academic success.”

Wang’s study surveyed 630 adolescents from middle class backgrounds to explore how racial discrimination and prejudice in school affects their G.P.A., educational goals, and future aspirations. They found racial pride to be the single most important factor in guarding against racial discrimination, and discovered it had a direct impact on the students’ grades, future goals, and cognitive engagement. Despite fewer instances of multicultural and inclusive learning in school and the increased frequency in which black students are treated more harshly than their peers, Wang’s study shows that teaching kids, especially black children, to take pride in their culture is an integral part of their success.

﻿Wang sums it up:﻿ “Our study provides empirical evidence that the longstanding practice in the African American community of cultivating racial pride and preparing children to face racial bias in society should be considered among appropriate and beneficial practices in parenting Black children.”